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Local Liberals rebuilding

Local provincial Liberals have found themselves in a rebuilding state with former cabinet minister Leona Dombrowsky's appointment as a justice of the peace.

Denyse Mouck, secretary for the Prince Edward-Hastings Provincial Liberal Riding Association, said the provincial Liberals are still trying to determine who their candidate will be in the next provincial election.

At the same time, the association has to name a new president and vice president.

“We're a bit in flux. The president (Peggy Yates) had to retire because of her non-volunteering workload. She was just swamped and didn't feel she could commit the time it deserved and then Leona accepted this position as a JP.”

What all of this means in terms of finding a candidate, Mouck said, has yet to be determined.

“We just found out about this a couple of days ago so we'll have to work on that, won't we?” she said.

Mouck said there had not been any discussion surrounding a potential candidate and stressed the association had not even approached Dombrowsky about her trying to win back the seat she lost to Conservative MPP Todd Smith last year.

“There's going to have to be some shuffling around,” she said. “We all just found out. Leona was the acting president... It's all happened in the last week so we'll have our meetings and we'll discuss things and we'll see what we can come up with.

“It's an opportunity more than it's anything negative. Change is not always not good.”

Mouck said she wasn't sure when the association would hold its next meeting.

“We don't know. Things are going to change. It's the Christmas holidays and everyone's busy. As soon as we can get everyone together and make plans we will.

“It's as much an opportunity as anything and it's a wonderful opportunity for Leona.”

Dombrowsky was first elected to Queen's Park in 1999 as the member for the riding of Hastings-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington. She was re-elected in 2003 and subsequently named Minister of the Environment. Two years later her portfolio was changed to agriculture, food and rural affairs. A provincial election in 2007 had Dombrowsky retain her seat though she was defeated in the 2011 election.